Black into White: Race and Nationality in Brazilian Thought
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Author Description
Published to wide acclaim in 1974, Thomas E. Skidmore's intellectual history of Brazilian racial ideology has become a classic in the field. Available for the first time in paperback, this edition has been updated to include a new preface and bibliography that surveys recent scholarship in the field. Black into White is a broad-ranging study of what the leading Brazilian intellectuals thought and propounded about race relations between 1870 and 1930. In an effort to reconcile social realities with the doctrines of scientific racism, the Brazilian ideal of "whitening"—the theory that the Brazilian population was becoming whiter as race mixing continued—was used to justify the recruiting of European immigrants and to falsely claim that Brazil had harmoniously combined a multiracial society of Europeans, Africans, and indigenous peoples.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates how Brazilian intellectuals between 1870 and 1930 utilized the concept of 'whitening' to reconcile the nation's multiracial reality with prevailing theories of scientific racism. Thomas E. Skidmore, a prominent historian of Latin America, examines the ideological frameworks that shaped Brazilian social policy and national identity during this period. By analyzing the writings of influential thinkers, he demonstrates how the myth of racial harmony was constructed to justify European immigration and mask deep-seated social inequalities. The text provides a rigorous historical analysis of how elite discourse influenced the development of the modern Brazilian state.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- An intellectual history of Brazilian racial ideology from 1870 to 1930.
- Analysis of the 'whitening' theory and its role in national identity formation.
- Examination of the intersection between scientific racism and social policy.
- A comprehensive bibliography surveying scholarship on race relations in Brazil.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this text as a foundational study in the field of Brazilian intellectual history and racial politics. Readers frequently note the academic rigor and the clarity with which Skidmore navigates complex sociological theories.
Page Count:
299
Publication Date:
1974-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0195017765
ISBN-13:
9780195017762
History
Race Relations
Brazil
Intellectual History
Sociology
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